One bright morning, at a house in the countryside, John Brown wakes up in bed next to his wife, Elsie. Happy and energetic, he playfully wakes his wife, who is reluctant to be disturbed. He gets up, exercises, washes and gets dressed.

Out in the garden, he rushes about, exercising and smelling the flowers. However, as he reaches down to examine a plant, he is struck by piercing pain in his back. He yells and falls to the ground. Elsie rushes into the garden, as three neighbours peer over the garden fence, laughing as they declare that John has lumbago. Painfully, John crawls back indoors.

In continual pain, John's life changes. He attempts to deal with his ailment using various supposed cures suggested by friends, family and neighbours. They all fail. His wife is compelled to move him around in a bath chair. John makes his wife miserable with his obsession with back pain and she finally calls Dr Stott, who promises to visit.

Dr Stott arrives, accompanied by Mr Tranter, a specialist. But they become so involved in a complex discussion about biochemistry that they barely acknowledge John's presence, and leave without examining his back.

Exasperated, John rushes after them as they leave. He slips and falls down the stairs. The fall cures his back problem. Delighted, he embraces his wife and demonstrates some of the vigorous activities of which he is now capable. The doctors, suddenly remembering their patient, return to the house. John reveals that he is cured, and they leave once more.

John's bath chair is sent spinning away down a lane, while he and Elsie happily run away, hand in hand, in another direction.